Oakland police chief Howard Jordan looks on during a press conference on October 26, 2011 in Oakland. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

OAKLAND (CBS SF) – Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan recently gave himself some low marks for job performance while still sounding an optimistic tone about the future safety of the streets of Oakland.

One of the reasons Chief Jordan said things are looking up is because Oakland is launching its first police academy in nearly four years. It would appear the city needs the additional law enforcement, considering violent crime is up in Oakland.

“The year is just started,” Jordan pointed out. “Obviously, we have to make some impact because we’re judged by the level of violence in Oakland. That’s my report card…and right now I would probably give myself about a C-…I want to get to an A+. That’s my goal.”

There appears to be plenty of interest in joining OPD, considering the number of people who lined up in mid-March to take the written exam.

“The fact that 2,300 people originally applied and 1,300 showed up to take it,” he reasoned. “We had to give the test in two phases, we didn’t have enough space to do them all at once.”

The police academy should yield 55 new officers, who will be on the streets by April 2013.

KCBS’ Chris Filippi Reports:

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